Home Sweet California
by daydreamer-022
Summary: [FINISHED] AU: Michael and Lilly grew up in California, but have just moved to NYC. Read and see.
1. New Beginnings

Screw it, I can't wait any longer, I'm just gonna start with another one. But don't worry, I won't forget about the other one.   
  
This one is a bit different. In this one Lilly and Michael grew up in California, not New York. They have just moved to New York in the middle of Lilly's freshman year, and Michael's senior year.  
  
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all of the characters. I own nothing (that I can think of...)  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Blah, another day of school. What is going to make this day any different from yesterday? Or the day before? I'm just going to turn up, not pay attention, hang out with Tina, my best friend, and our other friends Shameeka and Ling Su.   
  
I ask you, what is the point? I'm failing anyway. That's why they put me in G&T, to give me extra time. It's not as if I'm actually gifted or talented.   
  
What I need is a tutor. Someone my age who can help me. Not my algebra teacher/step father, because I know it frustrates him when I don't understand and he has to repeat himself over and over again.  
  
I rolled out of bed and headed straight for the shower. If I have to go to school, I may as well be on time. Grandmere would not approve if I had a tardy record.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Today is the day I start a new school.  
  
I still can't get over the fact that my parents decided to move us across the country while I'm in the middle of my senior year! So now, not only do I have the pressure of it being my senior year, but I also have the added pressure of being the new kid. Thanks mom, thanks dad, I really appreciate it.  
  
But I guess there is an upside to the whole thing. My dream college is Columbia, which is only a few subway stops from where we are living now, so at least I will get to adjust to the neighbourhood before moving into my dorm. Providing I actually get in of course.  
  
I'm nervous, I don't do so well around new crowds, especially if I'm the newbie. My parents say I'm a recluse because I spend all my time in my room. I say that I'm not a recluse, I'm just modern with technology and like to keep up with what's on the Internet. My sister Lilly says that's just fancy talk for 'nerd.'  
  
Speak of the devil, Lilly just walked into the kitchen, where I am eating breakfast.  
  
"Nervous, Lil?" I ask politely. Lilly doesn't do well in new crowds either. But that's because her ideals and beliefs usually vary greatly from other peoples, and she finds it hard to keep quite about voice her opinions. She finds it hard to relate to people.   
  
"No. Why would I be nervous? What's there to be nervous about? It's just another day." Lilly was speaking about a hundred miles a second.  
  
"Calm down, Lilly, you're babbling. It's ok to be nervous you know."  
  
"Then you're nervous too?" she asked, a look of relief washing aver her face.  
  
"Of course I am. Not only are we starting a new school, be we're going to a new school in New York City! We're not accustomed to city people, Lilly, it'll take some time to get used to their ways and their attitudes." This is actually what I was most dreading. I'm about as street smart as my dog Pavlov, and that's not saying much since he's used to running along the sunny beaches of California, not the crowed streets of New York City.   
  
I mean, the people at our new school sure are intimidating to say the least. We had a meeting with the Principal last week, and she was telling us not to be intimidated, even though there is an actual European Princess enrolled at the school! As well as a huge Russian Violin player.  
  
How can I compete with that? And you just know everybody is going to be all rich, posh and snobby.  
  
Oh, yes, I can just tell I am going to really love this school. I can tell I'm going to fit in just fine. Not!  
  
Why couldn't there have been enough people to psychoanalyse back in California? But no, there wasn't. I guess the sunny beaches make people happy and content, whereas the crowded city makes people crazy. Couldn't mom and dad just change trades? Did we really have to move across the country?  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Lars (my bodyguard) and I were just dropped off outside the school, straight away Tina came rushing up to us.  
  
"Hey!" she cried. "Guess what? There are two new kids! A guy and a girl. And let me tell you, the guy is HOT!!! The chick looks a bit like one of those Pug dogs though, but I'm guessing they are brother and sister despite not looking anything alike."  
  
"Great," I replied, not bothering to hide my fake enthusiasm. "More people to make fun of me."  
  
"You don't know that, Mia. I don't think Lana will be jumping all over herself to be friends with them, at least not the girl. She will be all over the guy though; I wouldn't be surprised if she dumped Josh to make herself available for him. I think he's a senior."  
  
"Uh, huh." This news wasn't particularly fascinating to me, I mean, it's not like this guy would ever be interested in a biological freak like me, not if he really is the hot senior Tina is describing him to be. And this girl doesn't sound too interesting either.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I now know how animals in the zoo feel. I have never been looked at so weirdly by so many different people before.   
  
Seriously, I am just walking down the hall to the locker Principal Gupta assigned to me, and everyone is staring, pointing and talking about me.   
  
I did a quick check to make sure I wasn't wearing the wrong coloured school shirt, or that I had a giant booger hanging from my nose or anything, but no, I guess these kids just don't see many new kids here.  
  
Ah, here's my locker, number 417.  
  
I was just putting my stuff away when someone came up to speak to me.  
  
"Hi! You're new right? I'm Lana."  
  
"Yeah, hi, I'm Michael. It's nice to meet you."  
  
It wasn't really. I could tell right away that this chick was going to be one of those rich, popular, 'beautiful' people I hate. I mean, don't get me wrong, she was totally hot, but just not my type. I prefer a girl with a brain, not pom poms.  
  
"So are you a senior?" she was asking. She was now leaning up against the lockers, swishing her hair all over the place.  
  
"Um, yeah, I'm a senior." I said stupidly, what I really wanted to say was, "Go back to your sheep, Barbie."  
  
"Cool, my boyfriends a senior. Oh, here he comes. Josh! Josh, over here!"  
  
This chick has a boyfriend? What a flirt!  
  
Josh sauntered over. He was a good-looking guy if I do say so myself.  
  
"Hey, man, how you doing?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, I'm fine, thanks. I'm Michael."  
  
"Josh," he said, sticking out his hand.  
  
After shaking it, I asked where room 14 was. I had English there. But really, I just wanted to get out of the presence of these 'beautiful' but annoying people.  
  
"No worries, man, that's my English room too. You can just follow me." Great, Josh in my class, fun fun.  
  
"See you later, babe," Josh said to Lana, leaning over for a kiss.  
  
I grabbed the books I needed from my locker and waited for them to break apart.   
  
I'm still waiting a full two minutes later! Hasn't the bell gone already? Sheesh! Get a room.  
  
My eyes wandered to the few remaining students loitering the hallway, I see people here don't care much for punctuality.  
  
Bang!  
  
Some one had dropped their entire pencil case on the floor. Pens and pencils scattered everywhere. The girl who'd dropped them stopped running down the corridor and bent down to pick them up. She was pretty tall, but she only looked like a sophomore, maybe even a freshman. She was really pretty too. You could tell she was one of those people who didn't realise just how pretty they are because people like Lana are always telling them they are better than them.   
  
A few of her pens had rolled over near my feet. Lana and Josh were still going at it, despite the loud crash this girl had made. I bent down to pick up the pens.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Damn it, I'm already running late for algebra and now I've just dropped my pencil case all over the floor. Great.  
  
Lars and I start to pick them up when someone above me says, "Hey, I think these are yours."  
  
I looked up to see the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life. Hotter than Josh Richter possibly! Why was he helping me though?  
  
Just the fact that this totally hot guy was talking to me was reason enough for me to blush from head to toe. How embarrassing.  
  
I was kneeling on me knees, so I sat back and said, "Um, yeah, thanks." Real intellectual, I know.  
  
He smiled and got down on the floor to help me pick up the rest of my stuff.  
  
When we'd picked up everything, he said, "I'm Michael by the way, I'm new here."  
  
"Oh, yeah, um, I'm Mia." I was trying to think of something to add, but just then Josh Richter walked over and spoke to Michael.  
  
"Dude," he said, looking at me weirdly. "We're going to be late for class, let's go."  
  
Michael smiled at me, then stood up and followed him down the hallway.   
  
Wow, I'm in shock. That must be the new guy Tina was telling me about, Boy did she ever make the understatement of the year, he was way hotter than she described. And he had a tan to die for. It looked totally natural, like the ones people in sunny states get naturally, even if they stay inside all day long. He was probably from somewhere like California or Florida, or even Hawaii!  
  
I was still sitting on the floor when Lars said, "Princess, shouldn't you be going?"  
  
Jeez, can't I even take a minute to pay tribute to a real live god? But he was right; I was way late for Algebra. If he hadn't said anything, I would have been 'paying tribute' to the new guy all morning.  
  
I stood up and took one last look at the back of Michael, who was now all the way down the other end of the corridor.  
  
Suddenly, he turned around to look at me. And he smiled right at me! I was so embarrassed; he'd just caught me checking him out! I know by the time I walked into Algebra, I was still as read as a fire truck, and I was in a daze.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
I hope you like the twist I gave it. I'll update really soon. 


	2. Walking On Cloud Nine

Wow, you guys ROCK! Thanks for all the cool reviews. Just for that, I'm updating! Hurrah! Who knows, if you keep it up you might get an update a day from now on.... Or maybe I should just put up another story, I have like 50 waiting to go up.  
  
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah... Meg Cabot owns all characters... Blah blah blah.  
  
And I forgot to say this in the first chapter, but because the story takes place during the second and third books, I have down played a lot of the stuff that happened. It doesn't mean it never happened, or that she doesn't stress about it as much, but it means that I didn't concentrate too much on it because I don't want to be repeating everything from the book.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
For the rest of the morning I felt like I was walking on cloud nine. I know it's stupid, since obviously Michael hasn't been at the school long enough to know what a biological freak I am. But it still made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, just thinking about how he smiled at me.   
  
That smile could melt ice.  
  
The new girl is in my English class. I think her name is Lilly, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was too busy thinking about her brother.  
  
She seems pretty opinionated though, especially for someone who has been in the school for only five minutes. I know if I were new I wouldn't be raising my hand to give my opinions on the very first day. But that was what she was doing.   
  
I told Tina about what happened between 'the new guy' and me this morning, but I left out how gorgeous I thought he was. I didn't want to tell her I'd fallen for him or anything, she'd think it was a Josh Richter repeat. And we all know how horribly my one date with Josh had turned out. I didn't leave the school bathroom all night!  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Some how, I've managed to sneak into the popular people group. They won't leave me alone!  
  
Don't they see that I'm a 'nerd' (as Lilly puts it)?  
  
Maybe I should come to school tomorrow wearing a Dungeons and Dragons shirt over my school one, or maybe I should don a pair of thick black glasses for a few days. Or, I bet joining the Computer Club would work just as well.   
  
Phew, the bell just rang. It's time for lunch. I wonder what the quality of the food is like in a school like this. My old school food wasn't too crash hot, but I bet it will be better than what they serve here.   
  
I put my books away and headed in the direction I'd been shown the cafeteria was.  
  
Grabbing a tray, I fell into line. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the girl from this morning was behind me. Was her name Mia?  
  
I turned to her and smiled, as soon as I did she turned bright red.  
  
"Hi, again," I said.  
  
"Hello," she said, looking nervous. What did she have to feel nervous about? I was the new kid.   
  
I moved up in the line. "What's the food like here?"  
  
"Um, it's ok I guess. I only eat the vegetarian meals though, which isn't much."  
  
"Oh, I could never be a vegetarian. I couldn't live without meat. If that really is what they even put in these so called meat products," I indicated to the corn dogs. "But I think it's cool that you can," I added.  
  
She laughed, "Yeah you never really know what they are serving you in those things," she said looking back at the corn dogs.  
  
Suddenly, my new best friends Lana and Josh came up and interrupted our conversation, without even acting like they cared they were interrupting!  
  
"Hey, Mike!" Josh slapped me on the back. I hate when people call me Mike or Mick, it's Michael!  
  
"We sit over there," Lana pointed to a large table full of jocks and cheerleaders. "But don't worry, we'll wait for you."  
  
Gee, thanks, I wanted to say something rude, but I didn't want to get off on the bad foot with anyone on the very first day. So I settled for, "Ok, sure."  
  
I turned around to say something to Mia, but since we'd already passed the salads, she hadn't stuck around. She was walking off, followed by a huge guy in a trench coat. How come I never noticed that guy before?  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Oh my god! Michael just spoke to me again! And he didn't have anything mean to say either; he was actually speaking to me nicely. Unlike Josh and Lana, who'd come up to interrupt our conversation to tell him where they were going to be sitting.   
  
I'm back on cloud nine!  
  
I walked over to the table Tina and I always sit with Shameeka and Ling Su, but the new girl was already sitting there. When I stopped in front of the table, she looked up at me.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like me to move?" she asked shyly.  
  
"No, of course not, I'll join you." Nothing could dampen my mood.  
  
I sat down and introduced myself.  
  
"I'm Lilly," she said, eyeing Lars suspiciously.   
  
"Oh," I said, realising Lars must be a little unnerving. "This is Lars. He's my bodyguard."  
  
Lilly looked uncomfortable at the mention of the word bodyguard, but she smiled at him anyway. Lars nodded at her in reply.  
  
Tina, Wahim (Tina's bodyguard), Shameeka and Ling Su came up at that moment and sat down. Introductions were made all round.   
  
"So you both have bodyguards?" Lilly asked. "Why?"  
  
I hate explaining about being a Princess to people. You'd think they would recognise me from all the publicity I've gotten recently. But I guess when people first look at me, the word 'Princess' doesn't exactly pop into their heads. So I let Tina explain, she never minds.  
  
"Well," she started. "I have one because my father is paranoid I'm going to be kidnapped. And Mia has one because she is the Princess of a small European country called Genovia. Have you heard of it?"  
  
"You're Princess Amelia?" she asked, shocked.  
  
People usually have this reaction when I tell them I am royal. I guess it's because I'm not very typical 'Princess' material.  
  
"Um, yeah, but just call me Mia."  
  
"Wow," she said. And then she started asking me all these questions about it.  
  
I guess my Michael-high spirit could be dampened after all.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I am currently squashed between two huge jocks. I don't even remember their names.  
  
Everyone here is talking about some party they all went to on the weekend. Apparently someone stupid (well actually, their choice of words was 'heroic') had gotten really drunk and had to have their stomach pumped.   
  
I'm really glad I'm sitting here in the middle of this conversation, instead of an even vaguely intellectual one. Not.  
  
I think I will definitely have to join the Computer Club tomorrow, it's not like I wasn't thinking of doing it anyway. Even sitting with a bunch of computer geeks would be better than this. And besides, I am somewhat of a computer geek myself. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm a huge computer geek.  
  
Lilly looks like she's had better luck than I have. She's actually sitting with Mia! And she looks absolutely fascinated by whatever Mia is saying, and it takes a lot to fascinate Lilly. I should know.  
  
Oh what I wouldn't give to change places right now!  
  
*********************************************************************** 


	3. Oh So Gifted, Not So Talented

Thanks for reviewing, I really appreciate it.  
  
Disclaimer: Yada yada yada Meg Cabot owns all characters yada yada yada…  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Lunch wasn't so bad after all. Lilly seemed fascinated by my royal status, even though she did mumble something about not believing in Monarchy or something.  
  
I actually even invited her to come out with Tina and me this Friday. Shameeka and Ling Su are busy. We're probably only going to see a movie, but she said she'd love to come, and that we can stay the night at her apartment afterwards if we wanted. I almost died when she said that! Sleeping that close to someone as hot as her brother? Yes please!  
  
Of course, being a Friday night he will probably be out partying with his new friends.  
  
I could see him from where I was sitting at lunch. He is with all of the Jocks and Cheerleaders, but he actually looks uncomfortable. I'm sure he will get used to them though, and then he'll forget all about lil' old me.  
  
It's now time for G&T. Apparently Lilly has been put into this class also, so I'm waiting for her at my locker so I can walk with her there.   
  
I leaned back against my locker and looked down the hall to see if I could see her coming, the bell was going to go in a minute, she'd better hurry up. Despite not having teacher supervision in the class, I still didn't want to be late. I didn't see her, but I did see Michael! He was walking straight down the hall towards me! Well, obviously not straight towards me, but he was going to be coming past me.  
  
Aargh! Stay calm, keep it cool, he's just a guy.   
  
Yeah, just the hottest, nicest guy you've ever met!  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I now have a class called Gifted and Talented. But I don't really know what it is though.   
  
Principal Gupta said it was like a study period, where students get extra time to hone their artistic or special abilities.  
  
But when I asked Josh and a few of the other guys about it, they looked at me like I was crazy. I guess none of those guys are in that class. It doesn't surprise me that they don't fall under the Gifted or Talented category.  
  
I'm just walking down the hall in the direction I was told the G&T room is in, and in front of me is Mia. She's just leaning up against her locker. At least no one is pressing her up against it! She's just seen me and has turned bright red. Does she do that around all new people?  
  
As I walked past her I smiled at her, but she wasn't really looking, so I don't know if she noticed. Damn.  
  
I walked into the room, but I couldn't see any teachers around. There also weren't many students in the room, at least not yet. Was I just supposed to sit anywhere?  
  
I chose a seat by the window, everyone was starring at me. Am I sitting in someone's seat? Oh well, too bad.  
  
It looks as if this class is not just for seniors. It looks as if it is for students of all year levels. I bet that means that Lilly will be in this class too. Great.  
  
Oh well, at least that will mean I won't be the only new kid in this class for people to stare at.  
  
Speak of the devil, Lilly just walked in. And right behind her is Mia!  
  
I know I only met her today, but there's just something about her. It's like I knew her in another life or something. And she's not like any of the other girls I've met so far, most of whom have thrown themselves at me. She's totally different, which is a good thing.   
  
I pretended not to notice they'd just walked in and opened my English books. I figured I might as well use this period to catch up on everything I'm behind in. We were actually ahead in most classes in my last school, but not English. Here they are studying completely different books than we did in California. So now, instead of being up to date and even ahead of everyone, I'm actually behind.  
  
Out of the corner of my eye I can see Lilly and Mia putting their books down at some desks. Now they are coming over here.  
  
"Hey, Michael." Lilly said. "This is Mia."  
  
I looked up at Mia and said, "Yeah, um, we already kinda met. Hi again."  
  
Mia smiled quickly and looked back at the ground.  
  
I looked past them at the desks they had just set their stuff down at. That big burly guy who had been with Mia earlier was sitting in the row behind them. He was looking over at her protectively.   
  
"Hey, who's that guy who follows you around?" I asked Mia.  
  
She looked uncomfortable, like she didn't want to have to explain, as if she was going to admit that he was her Sugar Daddy or something. Oh god, I hope not.   
  
She opened her mouth to answer but Lilly beat her to it.  
  
"He's her bodyguard," she informed me. "Mia is the Princess of a small European country called Genovia."  
  
She's the Princess? But she seems so normal, so down to earth. If I thought I had a chance with her before, I've certainly changed my mind now.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Great, Michael knows I'm a princess now. Lilly took me over to meet him, even though we'd already met, and then she just blurted out that I'm a princess.  
  
Not that I thought I'd had a shot with him before hand or anything. But I definitely don't now.   
  
As soon as Lilly blurted it out, his jaw dropped to the floor.  
  
"You're the Princess?" he asked, using the same tone of voice most people use when they first meet me. Like I'm not princess material or something. Which I'm not, but I hate to think that other people think that when they first meet me too.  
  
"Um, yeah, unfortunately I am." I said. What else was I supposed to say? "Bow down before me,"? I don't think so.  
  
"Sorry for acting so surprised," he said, looking embarrassed. "It's just, I thought you were… normal."   
  
Thanks. Thanks a lot!  
  
"I am normal," I said defensively.  
  
"No, I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly.  
  
Then just what did he mean?  
  
Great, now he thinks I'm a weirdo.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Smooth moves Moscovitz.  
  
Lilly brings Mia over for a chat and you tell her she's not normal! What kind of a freak am I?  
  
She must think I'm as conceited as Josh and those other guys. Great!  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
La la la, more soon. 


	4. Tutoring

Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters. I own ziltch.  
  
And Prongs37: I'm currently writing my 10th fic, it's a crossover between PD and... something else. Shh, it's a secret! I'm not telling what it's crossed over with just yet. Um, all of my others are set either at the same time as the books, or just a few years after. I already have the next one I'm gonna put up chosen, it's my favourite so far, and my beta says it's better than this one. But after that one I'll probably put up this new one that I'm writing now.  
  
Oh, and there's something screwy going on with the reviews, some of them are double posting... I was trying to find out how to fix it and I may have accidently reviewed it myself, so if there is a blank review from me, have a laugh and ignore it.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Today is Friday. A whole week has gone by since Lilly and Michael arrived at AEHS. And quite a lot has happened.  
  
No, Michael has not confessed his undying love for me. Yet. Ha! I wish. But he did shoot down the popular people!  
  
He turned up at school on Tuesday carrying a laptop. He then proceeded to join the… Computer Club!  
  
When Josh and Lana and the rest of their gang got wind of what he'd done, they dropped him like a pair of last season's pants.  
  
He's been hanging around the people from the Computer Club ever since. And he's seemed a lot happier. I tell you, if that's not a reason to join the Computer Club, then I don't know what is. It makes me want to join. If only I knew something about computers!  
  
Lilly has stayed with our group. And she seems to fit in just fine. She even already has a boyfriend! Boris Pelkowski from our G&T class! He asked her out after school on Wednesday.  
  
It's so funny, because everyone in G&T always makes him play his violin from inside the closet, but when Lilly said something about it, he took a real liking to her and asked her out. He still plays inside the closet though.  
  
But it's not fair! I've been here for a lot longer than she has, and do I have a boyfriend yet? No! Why? Because I am a biological freak and a princess! Who would want to put up with all of my baggage, not to mention my grandmother! Oh well, I'm used to it. I'm completely over it.  
  
That's right Mia. Keep telling yourself that.  
  
Tonight Tina and I are staying at the Moscovitz's apartment. We're all going out to see a movie, and then we are going back there to eat pizza, watch more movies, and gossip I guess.   
  
Hopefully Michael will be there!  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Life at AEHS has certainly improved since I joined the Computer Club. Just as I'd expected, the 'beautiful' people ditched me as soon as they found out, and I was left to find some real friends. So I've been hanging out with the seniors of the Computer Club. And it's made lunchtimes a lot more bearable to say the least.  
  
I haven't seen Mia much this week. Not that I've been avoiding her or anything. I just haven't run into her.   
  
But Lilly tells me she has invited Mia and someone called Tina over tonight, just to hang out. I might just have to 'hang' around too. I'm sure Lilly would love that!  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Lunch just finished. It's now time for G&T. I'm still trying to catch up with all of my Algebra, no wait, I'm still trying to understand all this algebra, in order to catch up. But it's no good, it may as well be in Spanish.  
  
Lilly actually seems quite competent with Algebra. Maybe I'll ask her if she can give me a hand. Although, she probably has a lot of catching up to do herself.   
  
Looks like I'll be doing it solo then.   
  
Michael's POV  
  
I've caught up on everything I was behind in. I'm now using my G&T time to think about what else I can do. Back home I maintained the school newsletter; I did it online. I'm now thinking about doing some kind on online newsletter or magazine here. Nobody in the Computer Club ever mentioned anything like that. They've probably never thought about it before.  
  
I pulled out my laptop and started playing around with layouts and spreadsheets. There wasn't much I could do without actually being connected to the Internet though. Maybe I can ask mom and dad to update my computer, so I can be on the Internet anywhere. Yeah, I'm sure they'd love that.  
  
"Oh, damn."   
  
I looked up to see Mia was the one who had spoken.  
  
She looked up and was actually a bit embarrassed by her out burst. She looked like she was having trouble with some work.  
  
Lilly was on one side of her, but I know she couldn't help her with anything, not while she was so far behind herself. Lilly wasn't so quick to catch up as I was. The seat to the other side of Mia was empty.  
  
I got up and walked over to her, sitting in the vacant seat. She was surprised to see me sit down.  
  
"Need some help?" I asked.  
  
"Um, if you want. But don't you have heaps of catching up to do?" she was blushing furiously.  
  
"Nah, I finished everything I was behind on, I was actually thinking about what I could do to fill my time. I can help you if you need it."  
  
She smiled at me and said, "Sure, thanks." She then pushed her books over so I could see what she was doing.  
  
Her math book was a complete mess. She doesn't write her carryovers in neat lines, so it's just all over the place. No wonder she's having problems. And when I asked her where the rest of her notes were, she pulled out three other notebooks and went through them, trying to find all of her math notes.   
  
I didn't want to correct her, not just because she is a princess, but I didn't want to be rude. But I had to say something. She was never going to understand any of this if she continued along this path.   
  
Mia's POV  
  
Oh my God, how embarrassing! Michael came over and offered to help me with my algebra this afternoon in G&T, and my work was just so messy, and so unorganised. I would have rathered he'd walked into my room, before having the chance to clean it and put all my dirty panties in the wash. No wait, scratch that.  
  
But it was still embarrassing. I'm sure I was blushing throughout the entire time. He said I was having trouble concentrating too, because hello? This was Michael Moscovitz talking to me! He's only the hottest guy to ever voluntarily stay within a one-meter radius of me. I almost died whenever he accidentally brushed his hand up against mine when he took away the pencil to correct me. And whenever his knee brushed against mine too. No wonder I was having trouble concentrating.   
  
* * *  
  
I just finished more gruelling Princess Lessons with Grandmere. She said I was practically floating, and I certainly felt like it. After spending almost the whole of G&T with Michael so close to me it was enough to make any girl float.  
  
But Grandmere managed to bring me back to earth and ruin my floatyness. I've only been a Princess for just over a month, and she has made it feel as if it's been so much longer.   
  
I am now on the way to Tina's apartment. We are meeting there before meeting Lilly at the movies.  
  
Tina and I haven't spoken any more about Michael. There hasn't been any reason too. I definitely haven't told her how much I like him. She'd think I was crazy, she'd say I was dreaming if I ever thought Michael would look at me twice, at least not that way. And I guess I am. Dreaming I mean.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
I hope you all enjoyed the latest installment!  
  
You know what to do now... 


	5. Chick Flicks

Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas! It's Christmas Eve today (at least in Australia it is), and Santa has brought you all exactly what you wanted... a double update!!! Woot woot!!! That's right, you get chapter five of this story, as well as the final chapter, yes the FINAL CHAPTER of 'Not So Perfect After All'. So if you haven't already read it, go read it after you read (and review) this one.  
  
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Lilly should be back from the movies soon. Back with Mia.   
  
Our parents have gone out for the night, so it's just going to be us.  
  
Right now I'm running around the house looking for my favourite blue shirt. But I can't find it anywhere. I don't want to wear just any old shirt; so far Mia has only seen me in my school uniform. I want to look as if I've at least made an effort.  
  
I hope I didn't leave in back in California; it's my favourite.  
  
I ran back into the living room just as Lilly was opening the door. Uh, oh, sprung half-naked. This was so not good.  
  
"Michael!" exclaimed Lilly. "Can't you at least try to look decent?"  
  
"Wow," said a girl I've seen with Lilly at lunch, but I haven't been introduced. She must be Tina. "I mean, um, nice apartment," she covered up.  
  
Mia didn't say anything, she just turned a bit red and looked around the apartment, anywhere but at me.  
  
"Gee, thanks for the advice, Lil, I hadn't thought of that. I'm actually looking for my blue shirt. Do you know where it is?"  
  
"Some of your clothes got thrown in dad's wardrobe, try there." She said it in such a disgusted voice. It's not like I'd done it on purpose or anything!  
  
I quickly hurried into mom and dad's room; my shirt was in dad's wardrobe. I put it on, brushed myself off, and walked back out into the living room. Hopefully I wouldn't embarrass myself any further.  
  
When I walked back outside Lilly was on the phone ordering some pizzas. Mia and Tina were sitting on the couch looking through all of the movies they had just gotten from the video store.   
  
I sat on one of the armchairs and picked up on of the movies they had already put down.   
  
"Hi! I'm Tina, you must be Michael."  
  
"Yeah, hi, it's nice to meet you." I said.  
  
"Ditto."  
  
I put down the movie I'd been holding and said, "So what other movies did you guys rent?"  
  
They showed me the movies; some of them weren't bad choices. I'd expected a lot of chick flicks, but there was only one of those.  
  
When Lilly finished on the phone she told me to go back to my room.   
  
"It's a free country, and I do believe that I live here too." I replied.  
  
"Fine," she said. "You can stay, but I'm warning you, we're watching this one first." She held up the chick flick. Out of the eight movies they had gotten, that was the one I did not want to watch. And she knew it.  
  
"Fine, but I'm warning you, I'll be back to watch the others." I said.  
  
"Whatever," was her reply. I don't think she wanted to get into an argument with me in front of her friends.  
  
So I reluctantly headed into my room. I guess I can work on some ideas for my magazine.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Michael is here tonight. We walked inside and he was shirtless! And I have to say, he's not only a pretty face, he has the body to go with it.  
  
When I first saw him I almost dropped the bag I was carrying. Tina let out a 'Wow,' but quickly covered it up. I didn't say anything, but I think I turned the brightest shade of red imaginable. I hope he didn't notice, although he wasn't so white himself.  
  
We are now watching the fourth movie, not including the one we actually saw at the movies. Our pizza arrived, and Michael emerged from him room, driven by the smell. But we finished the pizza ages ago, and he still hasn't left.   
  
I can see his presence is annoying Lilly, even though she isn't saying anything.  
  
I think this will be our last movie. It's quite late. Lilly's parents are home, and they retreated to their room. So I don't think we will be watching any more after this one. We will probably go into Lilly's room and talk till we fall asleep, that's what Tina and I always do when we sleep over. Hopefully I won't fall asleep out here before the movie finishes, I'm sure the sight of me drooling will not impress Michael.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I know my being out here is annoying Lilly. But I just can't seem to leave. And I don't want to.  
  
Mia is so funny when she watches movies. I keep looking over at her out of the corner of my eye. And when she laughs, she makes this really cute face. But I hope she hasn't noticed me looking, I don't want to freak her out.  
  
The movie is almost over now, and I don't think it will be followed by any more. I can see Mia is trying really hard to stay awake. They will probably stay up talking for a while though. Girls always do, no matter what time it is. They will probably talk about all of the good-looking Princes who are vying for Mia's hand in marriage. Ha! Like I ever had a chance.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
The movie finally finished and it was a unanimous decision to go to bed.  
  
Tina, Lilly and I are in Lilly's room. We're talking about what all teenage girls talk about- boys.  
  
Apparently Lilly and Boris are going on their first date tomorrow night. She's nervous, she has never been out with a boy before. Tina, being the only one of us with any experience in the boy department is giving her some advice.  
  
After telling Lilly what to expect, and how to act around boys, she turned the conversation around to Michael.  
  
"So does you brother have a girlfriend?" she asked.  
  
"Tina!" I exclaimed. "What about Dave?" Dave and Tina have been dating for a few months now.  
  
"What? It's just a question!" she replied. "So does he?" she turned back to Lilly.  
  
"Um, no, he doesn't. But I think he might like someone, because he has been acting weird all week. And I don't think it's because of being the new kid at school. I think it's more than that."  
  
Oh, so Michael liked someone? It didn't take a genius to work out that it wasn't me. But I'd still like to know if she has any idea who it is. So I asked her.  
  
She eyed me suspiciously and said, "No, I haven't got a clue. Why? Do you like him or something?" she asked, throwing me another strange look.  
  
"No!" I lied automatically. I didn't want Lilly to know the truth. I didn't want anyone to know the truth.  
  
"He's damn fine though," Tina said with a dreamy expression.  
  
"Ew! He's my brother." Lilly said, disgusted.  
  
"So? He's still hot!" Tina defended.  
  
At least the attention had been turned away from me. Phew.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Now you can all thank Santa by reviewing for me!   
  
And Merry Christmas!!! (If you don't celebrate Christmas then Merry Whatever-you-celebrate!!!) 


	6. Nothing But Boxers

Ok, I hope you all had a good Christmas or whatever!!! Here is another update Santa left for you all.  
  
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.   
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
We slept quite late this morning. When we finally rolled out of bed it was already 11.30am! I never sleep that late.  
  
We quickly got dressed and headed out to the kitchen. Lilly's parents had already left for the day, and there were no signs of Michael. Either he was still sleeping or he had already left.  
  
I was just pouring myself a bowl of cereal when I saw something that nearly made me drop the box all over the floor.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Aargh, I'm so tired. I could sleep till late afternoon. But I hate when people spend the whole day in bed. There are better things to be doing. Like my magazine for one.  
  
I hopped out of bed and decided to eat before showering, I was too hungry to put it off. I knew mom and dad were going to be out all day, and I figured the girls would have left already. Mia probably had someone important to meet or something. So I saw no reason to get dressed; I walked out into the kitchen wearing nothing except for the pair of boxers I'd slept in.  
  
"Woah…" I heard someone say. Startled, I looked up to see Lilly and Tina at the table, eating breakfast. It was Tina who had spoken. Mia was standing at the bench pouring a bowl of cereal, she almost dropped the box when I walked in.  
  
"Sorry," I said quickly and turned around, heading straight for my room.  
  
How embarrassing! I walk out in front of Mia in my underwear!  
  
I wouldn't be surprised if she called the Genovian Royal Guard to bust my ass for indecent exposure or something.  
  
Although, I thought, she hadn't seemed to mind that much. Before turning her signature colour of red, I think she actually smiled a little.  
  
With this in mind, I chose not to put a shirt on. Instead, I just slipped into a pair of old sweats and walked back into the kitchen.  
  
"God, Michael, can't you put a shirt on?" Lilly exclaimed, apparently disgusted by my behaviour. So what else is new?  
  
"Chill, Lil, I put some pants on. I'll get dressed properly after I shower. After I eat." I added.  
  
I grabbed a bowl of cereal and joined them at the table, sitting opposite Mia. She was avoiding my gaze. Had I misjudged her blushing? Maybe I should have put a shirt on.  
  
"Is this bothering you?" I asked her. It couldn't hurt to double check.  
  
She looked at me, still red, and said, "Um, no, it's fine."  
  
Phew.  
  
"It's not bothering me either!" added Tina with a smile.  
  
"Good," I concluded. "So it's only bothering you, Lil."  
  
"Whatever," she glared at me.  
  
Breakfast was in almost complete silence. Mia wouldn't even look at me. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  
  
As soon as I finished, I put my bowl away and headed for the shower. There was no point in hanging around.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
This morning was embarrassing, to say the least.  
  
Michael walked out of his bedroom in his boxers, I don't think he did it on purpose though. As soon as he realised we were out there he ran back into his room to put on some pants. He didn't bother to put on a shirt though. I could barely look at him without turning red. So I just avoided him altogether.  
  
Anyway, Tina and I left as soon as breakfast was over. We went back to her apartment, just to hang out.  
  
We ended up talking about Michael, despite the fact that Tina has a boyfriend. Evidently, she sees no reason why she can't talk about another guy.  
  
"How hot did he look when he came out this morning?" she was saying. "And how cute was it when he got all embarrassed about it! It was so funny."  
  
"Uh, huh," was all I could say. I didn't want to start talking about Michael, because then I might not shut up about him.  
  
Tina noticed my reluctance, she could read me like a book. "What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Yes there is, what is it? Do you not like Michael?"  
  
Ha! It was more like the polar opposite of that!  
  
"No, it's not that," I said. Quick, how could I change the subject without her thinking that that was what I was trying to do?  
  
But my mind was a complete blank. All I could think about was how hot Michael had looked this morning.  
  
"Yes it is. You hate him! Wait... no you don't. It's not that you dislike him, it's that you really like him! Isn't it? You love him!" Tina was jumping up and down now, practically bouncing off the walls.  
  
"I do not." I said sternly. But it was no good, I'd turned bright red, and Tina knew me well enough to know I was lying.  
  
"Ha! You can't lie to me, Mia! You love him!"  
  
"Alright, you got me, so I like the guy. How can I not? So what though?"  
  
"What are you going to do about it?" she asked, turning serious now.  
  
"Um, nothing. What would be the point? It's not as if there is even the slightest chance he likes me back. You heard Lilly, he likes someone else."  
  
"How do you know that 'someone else' isn't you?"  
  
"Oh, yeah right! As if!" I was practically laughing.  
  
"You know, I saw him checking you out last night. During the movies. And he seemed concerned with what you thought of him being topless this morning."  
  
What? He was checking me out? I don't think so. And this morning he was probably just worried he had offended me with his partial nudity and I was going to get Lars to come after him. So I told her that.  
  
"I dunno, Mia, he didn't seem worried I was going to get Wahim onto him. I think he's really into you."  
  
All I can say is, I wish!  
  
Michael's POV  
  
When I got out of the shower this morning, they had already left. Lilly was still here, but Mia and Tina had gone.  
  
Now that Lilly didn't have to play the gracious host in front of her friends, she really let me have it about my so-called 'indecent exposure.'  
  
"I didn't mean to, Lilly. It's not as if I chose to expose myself in only my underwear this morning. And it was a mistake that you walked in on me shirtless last night."  
  
"But it wasn't a mistake that you remained shirtless this morning. What was that about?"  
  
"Nothing! I just couldn't be bothered getting dressed completely when I had to have a shower anyway. What's your problem, Lil? Did I embarrass you? Because let me tell you, it was a hell of a lot more embarrassing for me."  
  
She shot me a questioning look, like she knew something I didn't, and said, "Hmph," before stalking off to her room.  
  
What's her problem anyway? It's not as if she'd walked out in her panties in front of my friends or anything. What did she have to feel embarrassed or angry about?  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
La la la...................... (you know what I want you to do now!) 


	7. Cracked

Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
It's been about a month since Lilly and Michael arrived, and not that much has changed.  
  
Michael is still as hot and unattainable as ever, and Lilly is still hanging out with Tina and me. Which I don't mind, especially since it means I get to be closer to Michael! And we all get along anyway.  
  
And she still hasn't figured out who Michael's secret mystery girl is, or if she has she isn't sharing the information with me. But I think I prefer not knowing, because at least now I'm not obsessing over why I don't look like her.  
  
This Friday is the Non-Denominational Winter Carnival and Dance. And not surprisingly, I don't have a date.  
  
Everyone else has a date. Tina is going with Dave; Lilly with Boris; Ling Su and Shameeka both have someone; and I bet Michael will be bringing his mystery girl. He has probably been waiting for some kind of event like this to ask her out.  
  
And I'll be going with… Lars I guess. If I go at all that is. Maybe I'll just skip it. God, I'm so pathetic.  
  
But actually, not having a date to the dance is the least of my problems right now.   
  
My cousin Sebastiano, aided by my doting grandmother of course, took it upon himself to print the photos he had taken of me wearing his dresses (he's a designer, not a cross dresser) in a full page advertisement for his new collection!!!  
  
It was horrible. I looked like a model snob! Have I ever wanted to be a model? No! But does that matter to Grandmere? NO!!!  
  
Now people are going to think I'm a sell out. They're going to think I wanted to model those clothes. Nobody is going to believe it isn't my fault.   
  
Oh God, I hope Michael didn't see them. How embarrassing if he did.  
  
I wanted to stay home from school today, but mom wouldn't let me. Does she not care about what I'm going to go through today? She says she does, but that she cares more about my education. So I'm on the way to school now. We always swing by Tina's apartment on the way, to pick her up. There is no point in us both taking limos to school.  
  
She hopped in and started talking straight away, as was her custom. "Hi! I saw it, you looked great!" she said with added enthusiasm.  
  
"What are you talking about? They were horrible. I am never speaking to Grandmere again. Everyone is going to think I'm a sell out."  
  
"So? You looked hot! I'm positive this is going to get Michael's attention," she was talking in a whisper now. "And if it doesn't, he must be gay."  
  
"Tina!" I cried.  
  
"What? It's true! I'm only saying."  
  
"Urgh. This couldn't have happened at a worse time for me. How am I supposed to concentrate on Finals with this kind of stress?"  
  
"Just don't think about it. I'm sure you'll do fine." Tina was doing her best to be the supportive best friend I needed.  
  
"I just hope I do ok in Algebra. I don't think I could stand going off to Genovia on Saturday knowing that I got an F. Dad would make me study non stop at the Palace. Wouldn't that be a fun way to spend my break!"  
  
"I thought you were doing better in Algebra since Michael has been tutoring you?"  
  
"Yeah, kind of. But it's just so hard to concentrate with him around. In some ways it just makes it worse."  
  
"You'll do fine."  
  
I hope she's right, because I don't want to have to explain to Michael that I still failed, despite his help. Because I'd have to tell him it was because he distracts me. He'd think I was a weirdo. And then he'd stop helping me!  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Poor Mia. She's stressing so badly.  
  
She made her modelling debut on the weekend, although Lilly says it was unintentional. I'm glad, because I was worried Mia was turning into Lana.  
  
Lilly says that Mia spent the whole of lunchtime defending herself from all the people in school who felt their thoughts about it needed airing.   
  
Apparently, her grandmother gave her cousin permission to use the photos, without getting Mia's permission herself!  
  
Her grandmother must be one piece of work, my grandparents would never dream of doing that to me. I hope.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Seriously, what did I ever do to deserve the life I have?  
  
Apparently it's not bad enough that I have finals this week, as well as a dance to which I so far have no date, but now I have to put up with the taunting from people in school too? It's just not fair.  
  
I hate my life.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I spoke to Judith Gershner today about doing a webzine. She was really up for it.  
  
Judith is the Computer Club President, so she doesn't have very much free time to maintain one herself, but she said she would help out with mine.  
  
I started working on it again tonight. I'm actually still working on it now. I still need a name though...  
  
Lilly barged in my room without knocking, "Hey, jackass," she said.  
  
"Don't call me jackass. Now get out." I wasn't in the mood for Lilly right now.  
  
"What would you prefer? Crackhead?"  
  
Crackhead? Crackhead? Where did she pull that from? Crackhead… Hey, maybe it would actually work as a name for me webzine. Finally Lilly is not as useless as she seems to be. I scribbled it down on a piece of paper in front of me.  
  
"What do you want, Lil?"  
  
"Chill, would you? I just wanted to know if you are going to the dance on Friday? You know, with a date."  
  
"Why would I want to go to a stupid school dance?" I asked. I really had no intention of going.  
  
"Oh, I dunno, I was just wondering. So that means you don't have a date then? Hmm, I might know of someone else who doesn't have a date, if you want me to set you up…" she had a twinkle in her eye as she said it. That generally means Lilly has an ulterior motive.  
  
But I couldn't help but wonder who she was referring too. Mia? No, she couldn't have meant Mia. I bet Mia has a bunch of guys, European Princes no doubt, just lined up to ask her to something like this.  
  
"I'm not interested in being set up with any of your friends, Lil. If I wanted to find a date, I could. But thanks anyway," I added sarcastically.  
  
"Ok, well I guess she can just go with Lars then…"  
  
Lars? As in Mia's bodyguard Lars? Does this mean it is Mia who doesn't have a date? Or does it mean someone else is going with Lars? But who would bring Lars to a school dance as a date? A bodyguard, sure. But a date?  
  
"Lars? Why would he be anyone's date for the dance?" I was playing dumb, skirting around the real questions I wanted to ask. I didn't want Lilly to know I had a vested interest in Mia or anything.  
  
"Not as her date, you doofus. I just meant that Mia would have to go stag, with only her bodyguard. Or she might just not go at all. It really is a shame, I'm sure she'd love to go."  
  
Lilly was hinting at something. Not just at something, she was hinting at me taking Mia. But why would she want that? She couldn't possibly know I like Mia. Could she?  
  
I didn't know what to say in reply to her hinting, without burying myself further into a hole I wouldn't be able to get out of. So I settled for, "You can get out now, Lil. I'm busy."  
  
"Ouch. Fine, whatever," then she stormed out; obviously not happy with the way our conversation had turned out.   
  
******************************************************************  
  
Aw, we all knew they had to get together eventually, it just wouldn't be the same if they didn't. But... how will they do it? And will devious Lilly have anything to do with it? Questions will be answered... SOON! 


	8. Instant Messenging

Yay! Keep up the reviews and I'll keep up updating people! It's a two way street. : )  
  
And just a reminder, like I said a few chapters ago, I've toned down the stuff that happened in the books because I didn't want to be repeating everything that you already know, so that's why I've skimmed over stuff like the modelling pictures.  
  
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
My English and Algebra Finals are over. Phew. And I think I did ok in Algebra. I mean, I don't think I would have gotten an A or anything, but I don't think I failed.  
  
Only three Finals to go!  
  
People are still taunting me about the whole modelling thing. Especially Lana. Why can't she just get a life and stop interfering in mine? I mean, really! Sheesh.  
  
Lilly was acting really weird this morning. I bet it has something to do with her brother. I bet she knows who his mystery girl is, but she doesn't want to tell me because she knows that I like him! Ah! I certainly hope not! I'd die if Lilly ever found out about how I feel about Michael.  
  
No, that can't be it. My life has enough problems in it right now, without adding romantic problems, or lack thereof.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I hate Finals. It's not because I don't do well under pressure or anything, it's just that I hate the atmosphere it brings.  
  
Teachers for one, are all, "Be positive and it will bring positive results!" Students are more like either, "I don't care, I'm going to fail anyway," or, "Oh my God, aargh! Stress, stress, stress!"  
  
It's an absolute nightmare, I tell you.  
  
People here are so much tenser than back in California. It must be the smog.  
  
Mia had her Algebra Final today, I hope it went ok, I might ask her about it later. If I work up the courage.  
  
God, I'm so pathetic, I can't even ask the girl I'm tutoring how she went in her Final without freaking out. I'm just going to do it. I'll just ask her.  
  
And maybe, I'll ask her to the dance too. Lilly is right, she should get to go, even if it isn't with her perfect dream-date Prince. Hmm, I'll have to think about it.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
I'm trying to study for my Finals tomorrow, but Tina just IM'ed me.  
  
ILuvRomance: Hey, Mia, who are you going to the dance with?  
  
Great. I knew my not having a date was not going to go undetected.  
  
FtLouie: Um, no one. I don't think I want to go actually.  
  
ILuvRomance: Liar. You want to go. Admit it. And you can't not go. You have to.  
  
FtLouie: Why? Why can't I just stay home?  
  
ILuvRomance: Because. because you just have to. It won't be the same without you.  
  
FtLouie: I can't go by myself, Tina. I've already embarrassed myself enough this week, thanks.  
  
ILuvRomance: I know! Why don't you go with Michael! Lilly said he didn't have a date.  
  
Michael doesn't have a date! But he wouldn't want to go with a freshman, especially not me anyway. Ha! I wish!  
  
FtLouie: Yeah, I don't think so.  
  
ILuvRomance: Why not? Just ask him!  
  
FtLouie: I will do no such thing. I'd rather just not go.  
  
ILuvRomance: Oh, Mia, you're such a spoilsport.  
  
Someone with a screen name I didn't recognise interrupted us:  
  
CracKing: Hey, Thermopolis.  
  
CracKing? Who do I know with the screen name CracKing? And who calls me Thermopolis?  
  
I didn't want to be rude, so I decided on a neutral response.  
  
FtLouie: Hey.  
  
Then I returned to Tina.  
  
FtLouie: Hey, do you know anyone with the screen name CracKing?  
  
ILuvRomance: Don't change the subject, Mia.  
  
FtLouie: I'm not. Whoever it is just IM'ed me and I don't know who it is. Do you know?  
  
Whoever it is, they just replied.  
  
CracKing: What are you doing?  
  
FtLouie: Um, talking to Tina and trying to study for my finals tomorrow.  
  
Who is this? I really have no idea. I don't think Tina knows either.  
  
ILuvRomance: Oh, I don't know. But whoever it is, ask them if they have a date to the dance!  
  
FtLouie: Haha, I'll let you know who it is when I find out. Bye.  
  
Back to CracKing.  
  
CracKing: How did your Final for Algebra go?  
  
FtLouie: Oh, um, I think I did ok.  
  
CracKing: Good, I'm glad my help helped.  
  
Help? The only people who have helped me in Algebra is Mr. G and. Michael! Is this Michael?  
  
My heart skipped a beat. Why is Michael chatting to me? Aargh! What should I do?  
  
FtLouie: Michael?  
  
I felt stupid asking, and I didn't want to be rude, but I had to know.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I'm such an idiot. I finally work up the courage to ask Mia about her Final (over the Internet no less), and I don't even tell her who I am! Of course she didn't recognise my screen name! I stole hers from Lilly's buddy list.  
  
What a fool I am.  
  
I contemplated signing off, but that would just be rude.  
  
CracKing: Yeah, sorry, I forgot I hadn't told you who I was.  
  
FtLouie: That's ok, I was just worried for a second. I didn't know who you were.  
  
CracKing: How's Tina?  
  
I didn't know what else to say! I didn't want to bring up the whole modelling thing, because I get the feeling she wouldn't have believed me if I told her I thought she looked great, which she did! And I didn't want to stop talking to her. So I didn't know what else to say.  
  
FtLouie: She's fine. She's just hassling me about going to the dance.  
  
So she still doesn't have a date. Hmm, should I make a move?  
  
CracKing: You don't want to go? Why not?  
  
FtLouie: Well, it's not so much that I don't want to go, I just don't think I will.  
  
What did that mean? Does it mean if I asked her to go she would say no? Should I ask?  
  
CracKing: Well if you don't go you'll upset your date.  
  
I just thought I'd subtly push the date part, so maybe I could work in my asking her.  
  
FtLouie: Oh, um, that's not going to be a problem. Look, I have to go. I have heaps of study to do. I'll talk to you later. Bye.  
  
FtLouie has signed out  
  
What??? She signed off just as I was working up the guts to ask her! Damn.  
  
Maybe she knew what I was getting at and wanted to avoid the whole situation where she says no and breaks my heart.  
  
Fine, I guess I'll just stay home on Friday night like usual then.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Oh my God, CracKing was Michael!  
  
Michael actually IM'ed me! Aargh! And what did I do? I freaked out about having to admit about not having a date, and signed off!  
  
What kind of a loser am I? I know he would have figured out that I don't have a date himself. Great, I bet he thinks I'm such a freak!  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Do I even have to ask? 


	9. Going Through With It

Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns everything.  
  
Thanks for reviewing guys, there are 12 chapters in this story, so only a few more to go before I start another story, and remember, the more reviews the quicker the updates!!!  
  
Oh, and a few people mentioned me continuing Spandex Love, but so far there are no plans to continue with it. It was meant to be a one-shot, but I stretched it out to a two-parter. I have had a few ideas for how I could continue it, but I don't want to start working on them just now because I am already in the middle of three fics. lol. Maybe one day I will......  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
When I told Tina CracKing was Michael, she flipped out more than I had.  
  
"Oh my God, Mia! You have to ask him to the dance now!" she cried.  
  
"What? No way! He was probably just bored, he was probably chatting with everyone."  
  
"He didn't message me, did he? No! But he messaged you. I think it means something!"  
  
"It doesn't mean anything, Tina. Except that it gave me the chance to humiliate myself by admitting I didn't have a date."  
  
After that, Tina went off in search of Lilly. Either she couldn't stand being around me any more, or she wanted to ask her about Michael. I hope it's the former. I'd rather her not want to be around me than have her speaking to Lilly about Michael!  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I haven't decided what to do about the dance.  
  
Mia didn't seem too eager to speak to me last night, maybe I should just forget the whole thing and not go at all, like my original plan.  
  
Or maybe I should just ask if she wants to go as friends. I could just make it seem as if she would be doing me a favour, instead of it being the other way around.  
  
Uh oh, Lilly just barged into my room. And she does not look happy. But what else is new?  
  
"What do you want, Lilly? I'm studying." It was true, I am studying, I'm just thinking about Mia too. Who says men aren't multitalented?  
  
"When are you going to ask Mia to the dance?" she demanded.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Haha, always play the innocent with Lilly.  
  
"I spoke with Tina today. She said that you IM'ed Mia last night. By the way, where did you even find out what her screen name is?"  
  
Uh oh. Busted.  
  
"I just wanted to know how her Algebra Final went. You know, since I helped her out and all. What's the big deal?"  
  
"Sure, that was all you wanted. What happened? Did you chicken out?"  
  
"Chicken out of what? I have no idea what you are talking about. Now get out. I'm studying."  
  
"Just do it soon, Michael. You know what I'm talking about. And I'm changing my password!"  
  
"Whatever," I replied.   
  
And it didn't matter that she was changing her password, I have a program that could crack it in a second if I wanted to get back in.   
  
She finally left, leaving me alone to think about what to do about Mia.  
  
What had she told Tina to make her think I was even going to ask her to the dance in the first place?  
  
Does she want me to ask her to the dance?  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Aargh! The dance is tomorrow! And I still have no date.  
  
That's it. I'm just not going to go. I'm going to Genovia on Saturday anyway, so I need time to prepare myself. So it's not completely bogus that I'm not going. I have a genuine reason.   
  
That's right, Mia, keep telling yourself that.  
  
I'm so glad today is the last day of Finals. I'm done with all of it after today. Well, I still have to wait for my results tomorrow, but after that, I'm home free!  
  
"So, who are you going to the dance with, Amelia?" Lana had turned around to ask me. Even though I don't doubt that she already knows the answer.  
  
"Oh, um, I'm not going to the dance, Lana, I have too much to do before I leave for Genovia on Saturday."  
  
"Oh, so nobody asked you then?" she said innocently, as if she was actually sincere.  
  
"Well your boyfriend didn't dump you for me this time, Lana, if that's what you mean. But there's always the next dance right?"  
  
She shot me an icy glare and spun back around, swishing her blonde hair everywhere.  
  
Ha! I had had the final word! Score one for me, nil for Lana!  
  
Michael's POV  
  
I spent all of last night thinking about the stupid dance.  
  
It's a good thing I've kept on top of my studies, because if I had to cram last minute for today's Final, I know I wouldn't do so well.  
  
And do you know what? I still haven't decided what to do about the dance. It's tomorrow night, so if I decide to ask Mia, I'd better do it soon.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
I finally did something about the whole modelling thing. I had an unofficial Press interview, where I said that the dresses I was modelling were being sold with all of the proceeds going to charity.  
  
Sebastiano wasn't too happy. He just rang to yell at me. But I think I was able to convince him that this will all work out better for him. Eventually.   
  
Dad rang too, to tell me that he was proud of me for handling the situation myself.  
  
It feels good to finally do something right about the nonsense in my life. And to do it all by myself, just makes it even better.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Aargh! It's Thursday night! I have 24 hours.  
  
Screw it, I'm just going to do it. But how?  
  
Maybe I should just do it over the Internet. That way she won't have to be looking at me when I ask her, she won't see how red I get.  
  
I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer. I signed into my IM account.  
  
Sign in failed  
  
CracKing is already signed in  
  
What??? How can I already be signed in?  
  
Lilly!!!  
  
I ran down the hall to her room and barged in, without knocking.  
  
Lilly was shocked, and she minimised the screen she was on. But it was too late, I had already seen what she was doing. She was chatting with Mia! With my screenname!  
  
I am so going to kill her.  
  
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I cried, absolutely livid. What had she said to her?  
  
Lilly stood up and faced me defiantly. I heard the computer beep, meaning Mia had just replied to something.  
  
"I'm fixing your problem for you, since you seem too dense to do it yourself."  
  
"Oh my God, Lilly, what have you said to her?" My heart stopped beating for a minute, just thinking about what Lilly could have said to Mia.  
  
"Nothing. Yet. I only just got started."  
  
"Lilly, why? For your information, I was actually going to do it myself, now. Not that it's any of your business though."  
  
"Well then, be my guest. Do it." she motioned to the computer chair.  
  
The computer beeped again. At least that meant that Mia hadn't run off at the thought of talking to me.  
  
I sat down in the chair. My hands were sweating with the dread of what I would find on the screen. What had Lilly said?  
  
I clicked on the conversation, bringing it back onto the screen. Lilly was still lurking behind me.  
  
This is the conversation I had so far supposedly had with Mia:  
  
CracKing: Hey, Mia. So about the dance tomorrow...  
  
FtLouie: Hey, yeah, what about it? Are you going?  
  
CracKing: I dunno, I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to things like school dances and socialising.  
  
Thanks, Lilly. Thanks a lot. That makes me look real suave.  
  
FtLouie: Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm not going to go either. I have to pack for Genovia, I leave on Saturday.  
  
FtLouie: Are you still there?  
  
I turned to face Lilly.  
  
"She says she isn't going to go at all. Great plan, Einstein."  
  
That's just an excuse. Just ask her already! Before I get back on there and ask her for you!"  
  
"No. Fine, I'll do it. But not with you hanging around. Go away." The last thing I wanted was Lilly to be looking aver my shoulder.  
  
"Fine. But when I come back, you had better have done it." She turned around and left me alone in her room.  
  
Right. Now, what do I say? Maybe I should have left this to Lilly after all.  
  
CracKing: Yeah, sorry, I'm still here. So does that mean you don't want to go? Or you can't?  
  
FtLouie: Oh, um, I just don't want to leave everything to the last minute. I don't want to forget anything.  
  
I think Lilly was right about that just being a cover story. It's time for the plunge.  
  
CracKing: Well, I was thinking, maybe if you wanted to, you would go to the dance with me? I don't have anyone to go with, so I wouldn't mind going with a friend.  
  
There. Done. Not exactly what Lilly would have said, but it was good enough for me.  
  
I mean, I still didn't know if she wanted to go at all.  
  
Now I just have to wait for her reply.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Oh.  
  
My.  
  
God.  
  
Michael Moscovitz just asked ME to the dance!  
  
I'm absolutely speechless. Which is a really bad thing since he is waiting for an answer. What do I say? I made a big deal about not going because I have to pack, and now I'm going to be changing my mind? He's going to think I'm such a hypocrite!   
  
Oh well, so long as I get to go to the dance tomorrow, I don't care what he thinks. Ok, that is so not true, but still, I might even get to slow dance with him!  
  
Aargh! Now, what do I say?  
  
CracKing: Well? What do you say?  
  
FtLouie: Sure, I guess. I mean, I can always pack before the dance right?  
  
Oh my God, am I the luckiest girl or what? I'm going to the dance with Michael Moscovitz!  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Haha, I love writing devious Lilly.  
  
REVIEW!!!! 


	10. Is This It?

***************************************************************  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Well, I did it. I finally asked her to the dance last night. Which means, that tonight is the dance!  
  
I don't think it has quite sunk in yet. You know, the fact that I'm not only attending a school dance, but the fact that I'm going with a girl I actually like!  
  
I know I stressed the fact that we are only going as friends, but who knows? Maybe after tonight we can progress to something more.  
  
Anyway, today is the Winter Carnival. We have homeroom, and then we just get to spend the rest of the day hanging out at all of the booths. Having fun.  
  
The Computer Club has a booth. So I'll be there for most of the day. We made a really cool game, where all of the teachers are dressed up in funny costumes. But we used a different game when applying for the booth, of course. Were not that stupid.  
  
So I should see Mia at some point in the day. She had said she would stop by to see the game.  
  
Right now, we are just waiting in homeroom for our slips of paper with our Finals grades on them.   
  
I hope I did ok, stressing over the whole Mia thing lately has undoubtedly hindered my results. But hopefully not too much. Oh God, I hope they won't take back my early acceptance into Columbia! They can't do that, can they???  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Yes! I totally aced Algebra! Well, ok, maybe not aced, but I did better than I thought I would. I got a B!  
  
I can't wait to tell Michael how much his tutoring helped me, no wait, let me rephrase that, I can't wait to tell my date how much his tutoring helped me. Aargh! My date! Who knew I would ever say that in reference to Michael?  
  
I'm so nervous, I mean, I know he said we were only going as friends, but friends can still slow dance a little can't they? It wouldn't be too weird, right?  
  
And we're going out to dinner too! We arranged it all last night, after he asked me. We decided that we would go out with Lilly and Boris, and I asked Tina this morning if she wanted to join us and she said yes!  
  
She's so excited for me. She says that even if we are only going as friends, it's still the first step. I told her it was highly unlikely there were going to be any more 'steps,' but I secretly hope she's right.  
  
Now that homeroom is over, I'm off to find Tina so we can go round the carnival together. Lilly has a booth, the Amnesty International one, so she can't join us.  
  
And Michael will be at the Computer Club booth all day, so I will have to go over and see him eventually I guess. It would be pretty rude to avoid him. But what am I going to say? I'm going to freeze up when I see him. I hope things aren't going to be weird between us.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Mia just came up to the booth, she's with Tina.  
  
"Hey," I said to them both, not looking Mia directly in the face. I don't know why, but it was kind of weird. She was avoiding my eyes too.  
  
"Hey," they both said. "So can we play?" Tina added.  
  
I sat them down at a computer and started the game up for Tina.  
  
While Tina was playing, I spoke to Mia, trying to bridge the weird gap between us.  
  
"So... um, how did you go on your Algebra Final? Did you get your results?"  
  
"Yeah, I got a B. Thanks again for all of your help."  
  
"A B? That's really good. And it's no problem, maybe next semester we can bump that B up to an A."  
  
"Well with your help anything is possible." She looked up at me and met my eyes for a second. Then she blushed and looked away.  
  
Damn, for a minute things weren't weird, but then they were again.  
  
A few minutes later they had both played the game, and were leaving.  
  
"Um. I guess I'll see you later then." Mia said.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Bye." I replied.  
  
Tina shot me a quizzical look. I know what it meant, because I was feeling it too. Why were things so weird between Mia and me?  
  
I shrugged my shoulders and she followed Mia.  
  
I hope things won't be so awkward tonight.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
It's lucky that I'm a princess, because otherwise I wouldn't have anything to wear on such short notice.  
  
Thankfully Sebastiano had made me a dress, in an effort to get me to forgive him for the whole photo thing.  
  
It's quite a nice dress. It looks horrible when it's on the hanger, but something happened when I put it on. It looked really good.  
  
Tina is here getting ready with me. Everyone else is meeting here soon, so we can go out for dinner.  
  
When I came out of the bathroom wearing the dress, Tina said, "Whoa! Michael is going to flip out when he sees you."  
  
I can only hope!  
  
It's almost 5.30, everyone should be here soon. Mom and Mr. G are taking about a million photos of Tina and I. And they will undoubtedly take a million more when everyone else arrives. I just hope they don't embarrass me.  
  
Oh God, I'm so nervous. I still can't get over the fact that I'm going to a school dance with my dream guy! Of course, when I went to the last dance with Josh Richter, I thought he was my dream guy, and boy was I ever wrong. But Michael's different. He really is my dream guy, and he isn't only going to the dance with me to have his picture on the front page of the 'Post.' At least I hope he isn't.  
  
Aargh! The doorbell just rang! Here goes nothing.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Lilly, Boris and I just arrived at Mia's. I'm so nervous, that I'm actually glad Lilly and Tina are coming to dinner with us, because I have a feeling things would be more than weird if it was just Mia and I.  
  
Wow. Mia just opened the door, and she looks.... gorgeous! I can't believe she's going to the dance with ME!  
  
"Hi," I said as I stepped into the Loft nervously. "You look great." I handed her the flower I'd gotten her. I wasn't so sure about whether or not to give her a flower since we were only 'friends,' but Lilly said to, so I did.  
  
"Thanks, you look really great too." She took the flower from me and she was blushing, probably just as much as I was.  
  
Tina's boyfriend Dave arrived a few minutes later, and Mia's mom announced, "It's photo time, kids!"  
  
We posed for what seemed like a million photos. We had group ones, just the girls, just the guys, and then individual ones with our dates.  
  
The photos of Mia and I are going to be so funny. No wait, do I mean humiliating? We were both so red, I was standing there with my arms around her, and everyone was watching. Even if the photos were black and white, I still would have come up red.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Dinner was so great. We're in the limo now, on the way to school.  
  
It was just so much fun. It was like we were all friends just hanging out, only we were really dressed up.   
  
Things weren't as awkward between Michael and I. I think having other people around helped. He seems to be having fun. I know I am.  
  
But Tina keeps bugging me, when no one else is around of course. She keeps telling me that Michael and I make the cutest couple, and that I should just ask him out for real. But I don't know, I mean, Michael did stress the fact that we were only going as friends. Would he even want more?  
  
I hope he isn't regretting his decision to take a freshman, no doubt he will be copping a bit of flack for it.  
  
Oh God, we're here. I don't want to go in.  
  
"Come on, Mia!" Tina was pulling me out of the car.  
  
Well, I guess this is it.  
  
******************************************************************** 


	11. The Dance

Thanks for all the great reviews, I'm glad you guys really like this story!  
  
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns everything and everyone.  
  
And I'm dedicating this chapter to my bestest buddy Tranny, because that "BB's BB" thing in your review cracked me up gorl.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Things haven't been so bad, at least so far anyway.  
  
As soon as we walked in the doors Lana pounced on me.  
  
"I thought you weren't coming, Amelia," she said snottily.  
  
"Well I changed my mind." I replied.  
  
She shot a look over at Michael and said, "I knew he was a loser the minute I saw him, but I didn't know he was that much of a loser."  
  
"Yeah, the minute after you were all over him and he didn't want to know you," I replied in defence of my date. How dare she? I left her stewing over what I'd said and walked over to join everybody else at the table they were sitting at.  
  
Everyone was in such a good mood, it was so great. We talked about everything, all the usual things. But then a slow song came on and people started to dance.  
  
First it was Tina and Dave, then Lilly and Boris, leaving Michael and I alone at the table, feeling uncomfortable yet again.  
  
After a minute of forced talk, Michael said, "Do you want to dance?"  
  
Do I? Hell yes! But at the same time, I don't. I'm so nervous. The only time I've danced with boys before is at the balls Grandmere forces me to go too. And this isn't the same type of dancing. This was the slow, sway side to side, standing so close you can hear each other's hearts beating, kind of dancing.   
  
So yeah, you could say I was a little nervous.  
  
At least it looked as if he was too though.  
  
We walked over to the dance floor and found a spot. We both stood there for a second, unsure of what to do. Then he just grabbed me.  
  
It was awkward at first, but then we both just kind of relaxed and let the moment wash over us. Neither of us said anything, I don't think you are supposed to talk during slow dances because no one else was. We just swayed side to side with the music.  
  
It was the best feeling in the world.  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Right now, I'm slow dancing with Mia.  
  
I wasn't sure if she would even want to when I asked her, after all, we are only here as friends. But she said yes.  
  
It feels so right to be holding her in my arms, swaying back and forth to the music, except for the fact that I can see Lilly from where I am, and she is glaring at me. "What???" I wanted to scream. Isn't this what she wanted? Jeez.  
  
The music changed. Uh oh, it's a fast song. I can't dance to fast songs. I'm uncoordinated enough as it is dancing to slow songs.  
  
I pulled away from her and asked her, "Uh, do you want a drink?"  
  
"Sure," she answered, looking relieved. I don't think she wanted to dance to a fast song either.  
  
"Alright, go sit down and I'll get us something," I said, walking towards the refreshment stand.  
  
Phew.  
  
I was just getting some lemonade when Greg came up to talk to me. Greg is a senior, and a jock. He was one of Josh's friends who I had to endure on my first day.  
  
"Dude, what are you doing with the freshman? I know you went all weird on us when you joined the Computer Club or whatever, but you don't have to degrade yourself that much."  
  
"Hey! Back off. What I do in my own time has nothing to do with any of you." What right did he have to say those things? And hello? Josh is going out with Lana, she's a freshman too! But I guess the difference is that Lana is known for putting out.  
  
"What you do, or should I say who you do, is your own business, I was just trying to give you some advice. Knock some sense into you." He walked off.  
  
I felt like slugging the guy. I felt like knocking some sense into him. But I didn't want to stoop to his level.  
  
"Whatever," I called after him. What did Greg know about Mia? What did Greg know about anything?  
  
I picked up our drinks and headed to the table where Mia was sitting, talking to Tina.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
"It felt great," I gushed. Tina had just asked me what dancing with Michael was like.  
  
"I told you!" she cried. "I told you that you two would make the cutest couple!"  
  
"It was only one dance, Tina. It was hardly anything to get that excited over." I said the words, but I didn't believe them myself.  
  
"So..." she continued. "When are you going to ask him out?"  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"What? But you just said... you just... you do like him right?"  
  
"Yeah, of course. I really like him, like more that like him, but I dunno, I just..." I stopped abruptly. Tina had been distracted by something over my shoulder. "What is it?" I asked her.  
  
I turned around and my heart stopped. It was Michael. He was standing right behind me with our lemonade.  
  
Oh.  
  
My.  
  
God.  
  
How much had he heard?  
  
There was no time to sit and ponder, I jumped up and ran to the girls bathroom, the place I always seem to end up.  
  
I heard Michael calling after me, but I didn't stop until I'd crashed through the doors to the bathroom and locked myself in a cubicle.  
  
I could hear a few girls outside the door, standing around the mirrors. But they soon left. I guess they saw that I needed privacy.  
  
Oh God, what am I going to do? Everything was going so great, and then I spoil it by opening my big mouth and freaking him out. I'm such an idiot!  
  
Someone just walked in; they are standing outside my door.  
  
"Mia, it's me, Tina."  
  
"Go away," I said between sobs.  
  
"Mia, don't cry. Michael is just outside the door, he wants to speak to you. He wanted to come in here even."  
  
"No, just go away. And tell him to go away too. I don't want to talk to anyone."  
  
"Mia, it's ok. Just listen to him."  
  
"Tina! This is all your fault! If you hadn't been bugging me about him all night then we never would have had that conversation, and he never would have known I like him. Now just leave me alone!"  
  
After a minute or two of silence, I heard her leave.  
  
Good, now I will just wait ten minutes, then I will sneak out and go home.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Ok, review please, there's only one more chapter to go. 


	12. The Dance Part Two

Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns everything.  
  
This is the final chapter peoples, I'm glad you all liked it so far, I hope the last chapter is good too.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Michael's POV  
  
Everything was going so great, and then suddenly it all went sour. I'd walked over to Mia with our drinks, and I overheard the last half of her conversation with Tina.  
  
I heard her say she liked me, like really liked me. More than a friend kind of liked me. But then Tina spotted me and Mia, embarrassed, ran off to the girl's bathroom. She's been in there for ages now, she won't even speak to me.  
  
I'm now sitting back down at the table with everyone else. I have my head resting on the table.  
  
How am I going to fix this? She won't even talk to me, she won't even talk to Tina!  
  
"It will be ok," Boris said, patting me on the back.  
  
I looked up at him. What did Boris know? He was too busy being infatuated with my sister to even know what happened. But I guess he was just trying to be nice.  
  
"I'm not so sure," I replied, before banging my head repeatedly on the table.  
  
"Hey! Hey, be careful, you'll hurt yourself." I don't think Boris understood that what I was doing was intentional.  
  
"Michael! There she is!" Lilly was saying.  
  
I lifted my head and saw Mia sneaking out of the bathroom and heading towards the exit.  
  
I jumped up, knocking over the cups of lemonade I'd discarded on the table.  
  
"Mia!" I cried, but hearing my voice only quickened her pace.  
  
"Hey, stop!" I said as I caught up with her. I grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face me.  
  
"Leave me alone, Michael," she said. Her eyes were red, and she was fighting back tears.  
  
"No! I have to talk to you," I pleaded.  
  
"Look, ok, I'm sorry about whatever you overheard, just... just leave me alone, ok?"  
  
"I can't do that, Mia. Would you just listen to what I have to say?" I didn't even know what I was going to say, but I had to say something.  
  
"Well?" she asked, not looking me in the eyes.  
  
"Um..."  
  
"Obviously you don't actually have anything to say, Michael, so I'll just make it easy for you." She turned and headed straight for the doors.  
  
"No. Wait. Please?"  
  
But she kept walking. I hurried after her, Lars did too.  
  
"No, Michael. I'll talk to you after I get back from Genovia."  
  
Back from Genovia? I can't wait that long. I had to say something, and I had to make it now.  
  
"Mia, do you... do you want to go out with me? Like on a real date? None of this friends rubbish?" I said it so fast and rushed I thought there was maybe a chance she wouldn't have even heard me.  
  
But still, I did it! It was just like ripping off a band-aid, quick and painless. Except for the part about it not being painless, there was still time for that.  
  
She stopped walking, at least I'd gotten her attention.  
  
"Michael, you don't have to say that." She wouldn't even turn around to look at me.  
  
"I know I don't. But I want to. I've been meaning to say it for weeks. I like you, Mia. And you like me too, right?"  
  
She turned around. But she kept her eyes glued to the floor.  
  
"Do you really mean that?" she asked. "Or are you just saying it to make me feel better?"  
  
"Of course I mean it. Did you mean what you were saying to Tina?"  
  
She blushed even deeper at the mention of the conversation she'd had with Tina.  
  
"I... um... yeah, I did," she finally blurted out.  
  
That was all I needed to hear. I stepped forward, cupped her chin in my hand, pulling her face upwards, and I kissed her.  
  
Mia's POV  
  
Last night was PERFECT! It really was a night to remember.  
  
After that first (yes, first. As in first of many, because there were definitely more than one) perfect kiss, Michael guided me back to the table we'd been sitting at earlier, where everyone else was still sitting.  
  
No one looked surprised to see us together. Tina was ecstatic. I guess she'd forgiven herself for what happened. I forgave her too. If it hadn't been for her, Michael and I might never have gotten together.  
  
But other people were surprised to see us together, people we weren't friends with. I guess they just couldn't believe what Michael could possibly see in me. I know I can't. When we were walking over to the refreshment stand (Michael had knocked over our drinks earlier), and we were holding hands, some guy (I think he was a senior and a friend of Josh's), looked at Michael strangely, and he even shook his head in disbelief. So you know what Michael did? He took me over to him and introduced me to him. As his girlfriend! They guy was very nice, at least to my face, but you could tell he didn't think it was funny. Afterwards Michael told me he just couldn't resist showing me off!  
  
The rest of the night we danced (only the slow ones) and kissed some more, and just hung out with everyone. It really was the best school dance I have ever been too, way better than the last one, the one with Josh.  
  
Lilly came up to me to speak to me about it at some point. She said that she was happy for me, so long as I was happy, and that it meant we would probably see each other more often because of it.  
  
I told her that if things got too weird that she should just tell me, but she said she could deal.  
  
The only bad thing is that I have to go to Genovia tomorrow.  
  
How typical is that? We just got together and now I have to jet off to another country! It's not fair.  
  
And what's also not fair is that I have to fly to Genovia with Grandmere, whom I am not even talking too.  
  
But you know what? All the good things, Michael being up the very top of the list, far outweigh the bad.  
  
I guess I should just be happy with what I've got. And I am, I really am.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
You'll notice I didn't have them saying, "I love you," at all, like they do in the books. This was because technically, they have only known each other for about two months or something, not since first grade like in the books. I thought it was too much to have them saying, "I love you," so soon.  
  
And there's been a slight change of plans with my next story, cos I'm screwing around with it, so it might not be ready for a couple of days. If it takes too long to work out the kinks and add the new chapters I'm writing I'll skip it for a while and go on with one of the others I have lined up. But don't worry, either way there will be a new story in a few days!!!  
  
Now review this one for me! This was the last chapter, so don't expect any more, I don't think there will be a sequel to it, but you never know. 


End file.
